40 years ago this summer, president Nixon resigned. A crisis sparked by a foiled burglary. Five men trying to bug the democratic offices in the watergate. Journalist Elizabeth drew chronicled it all in her classic book "Washington journal." Now she's revealing new insights like Richard Nixon's secret plan for career rehab. George spoke with her this week. If you had the conviction was going to lead to massive consequences? I just smelled that we might well be changing vice presidents and presidents within a year. Now, this was a crazy thought in many ways. It was -- it was numbing almost. But it was just my instinct. Is there a moment that it crystallizes in? When we had the Saturday night massacre. From ABC news in Washington. One of the central figures in the political and legal earthquake that rocked this city and this country last Saturday night. When the president ordered a series of attorneys general to fire the special prosecutor for insisting the president turn over tapes of his conversations in the oval office, as the supreme court had ordered. We were getting these ap reports, bulletins, Richardson declined to fire. The FBI has moved in on the prosecutor's offices and sealed them off. It was very scary. It really shook people. That's when the word impeachment started to get into the air and now it's thrown around so loosely it makes me crazy. Even after that historic vote. And resignation. Shall resign the presidency effective tomorrow. Nixon plotted a comeback. Drew details operation wizard. He said, I'm going to be a respectable person again. So, he drew up a plan with his aides. Of course, everything has to have a code name, this was code named wizard. Nixon actually believed he might be appointed to some position under Ronald Reagan? He had some delusions. So, he went to China, because that was the place of his greatest glory, and he started making pronouncements as if he were president. And the other thing he would do is, he would come back and write a report, a secret report for the president. And leak it to the press so that it got in the papers. Nixon was never boring. I miss him. What is the most important thing people can learn looking back at those events over 18 months 40 years ago? You have to be very, very careful and very, very observant and with any luck, focused on the right questions, not the scare him, he tied his shoes wrong, so impeachment. This is serious stuff. We have to hold the leaders accountable, but in a responsible way.

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